Elder Burch π: "It was one hundred degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree..."

Hello again, and welcome to another exciting installment of The Many
Adventures of Elder Burch!

We'll get right into the nitty-gritty. Like I've said before, these
wards have a very large amount of less active and part member
families. Due to that, and the fact that few people we meet have
accepted to hear our message, we spend a lot of time on reactivation.

Specifically this week, we met with a less active named Frank. Frank
thinks a lot - he's well educated and analytical (he was the librarian
for the high school here for years). As we've met with him these
couple times, we've come to know of his incredible factual knowledge
of the scriptures and of other things.
Well, as we were preparing to visit him one morning, I asked Elder
Berrett what exactly were Frank's needs, and how we can help him.
Elder Berrett told me that a major thing, he thought, was that Frank
just didn't have a testimony, and needed to come to church. Well, me
being the new missionary that I am said, "Let's read with him from the
Book of Mormon, testify of Moroni's promise, and ask him to pray to
ask if it is true, right there." And so, that's what we did.
After reading aloud in a circle 3rd Nephi 11, which describes the
visit of the Savior to the Nephites, Elder Berrett extended the
invitation. "Frank, will you, right now, pray to God and ask him if
the Book of Mormon is true?" With some hesitation, Frank agreed and
offered what seemed to be a sincere, searching prayer. After the amen,
and the silence that followed, Frank opened up to us. I firmly believe
that the Spirit that was present because of the prayer and the
question was the catalyst. Frank described to us how he knows that it
is true, and wants to follow it, but finds himself unable to bring
himself to do it.
After we listened to him, I offered, "Frank, we all feel that way.
We do stupid things and wonder why we did that again and then commit
to not do it again, and then we do it again and we think 'well, crap; I
did it again.' But we can overcome. With Christ's help, relying on Him
and His Word and His Grace, doing all we can, He will help us. We'd
like to invite you to take the first step on the path back to Christ.
Frank, will you come to church this Sunday?" And, he accepted.
After a reminder Saturday evening and fretting the minutes before
church wondering if he'd come, we saw him walk in just a minute late,
and waved over to him to sit with us. And so, for the first time in
thirty years, Frank participated in three hours of church and partook
of the Lord's sacrament.
Sometimes, we need to be bold, and trust that the Lord will put
power behind our words. After all, as missionaries, we are called of
God to represent Jesus Christ - we represent the Savior! He will give
us power in our words if we say them by the Spirit.

On Saturday, Elder Berrett and I got a call that the Sister
Missionaries in Worland had an investigator ready for a baptismal
interview. Elder Berrett being the district leader and the one to
handle such a thing, we loaded up the car, turned on a talk from a
General Authority, and proceeded to head out there. After the
interview, it was determined that the baptism would have to be
postponed from next Saturday to an indefinite date, because the young
mother needed to head to Chicago to deal with a family problem. This
investigator, years before, had a similar thing happen, and the
baptism never took place. With that in mind, combined with the
knowledge that the Holy Ghost would be a powerful tool for the
investigator during this time of trial, combined with the fact that
the font was being filled as we spoke for another baptism that day,
the Sisters invited her to be baptized right there. After a Priesthood
blessing and some thought, it was agreed. And so, an hour and a half
later, Elder Berrett baptized this woman into the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The lesson I'm finding here is that the Lord's timing is beyond our
capability to realize or understand. Sometimes He has us wait because
we need to be patient or someone needs to be prepared, and sometimes
He lets our efforts seem to be fruitless until some time down the
line, perhaps a time we will never see ourselves. But no matter what
He does, whether it is trying our patience or having us drastically
switch plans to perform a baptism right there, it is right. God knows
what's up. We are the tools in His hands to bring to pass His Work.
His Work, not ours.
"How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay
the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the
Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to
hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven..." -D&C
121:33

I have been blessed to see a fruit of my labor, and the labor of my
companion, and the power of the Holy Ghost when we have listened to
the promptings of God. It is my invitation that we can all listen for
God's council, and then act on it. If we do not act on promptings from
the Holy Spirit, we will stop receiving them. Why would a member of
the Godhead waste their time trying to speak to someone who time and
time again doesn't act on what they receive? On the other hand, if we
do follow the guidance that we receive, we will be led to do great
works, and do things that we wouldn't be able to do ourselves. We will
be led to glorify God, and we will find happiness for ourselves and
for those we serve. That is my testimony which I give in the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.

Thank you for reading all of that. I hope you're all doing well!
Keep being awesome, all of you. I love you.

Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

P.S. I love sending and receiving physical letters just as much or
more than I love sending emails! If you want me to send you a letter,
send me your address. I promise that I will send you at least one
letter. Thanks!

P.P.S. All of your emails and letters are a great encouragement.
Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and words.

"... I'm a war of head versus heart, and it's always this way ..."